Inventory and storage box for amusement tickets



Jan. 12, 1954 n. s. MOALJSTER INVENTORY AND STORAGE BOX FOR AMUSEMENT TIGER?! Filed Se 1:. 25, 1953 Patented Jan. 12, 1954 INVENTORY AND STORAGE BOX EOR AMUSEMENT TICKETS David S. McAlister, Charleston, S. C. Application September 25, 1953, SerialNo. 382,383

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an inventory, storage and sales case for amusement tickets. It is the purpose and object of the present invention to provide an inventory, storage and sales case for amusement tickets such as football tickets.

The sale of football tickets usually commences months in advance of the football season, and a great many tickets for each game are disposed of throughadvance sales. The problem of maintaining a continuous inventory while providing safe storage for a seasons tickets is a very acute one.

The present invention has as a more detailed purpose and object the provision of an inventory and storage box for the tickets of each section of the stadium for each game, by which a continuous inventory can be kept and through the medium of which the tickets may be safely, conveniently and compactly stored.

In still more detailed aspects the invention contemplates the provision of an inventory, storage and sales case for amusement tickets which retains the tickets always in readily accessible, identifiable form without requiring any redistribution of the tickets, and which permits the safe storage of the tickets without disturbing their relationship. Through the embodiment of the inventory, storage and sales case of the present invention it is possible to store tickets for each row of each section in subdivided compartments with the tickets so displayed that a continuous inventory is always available.

Further and more detailed objects and purposes of the invention will be made apparent in the description which proceeds, which will be given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the com- .pletely assembled inventory, storage and sales case conforming to the invention, showing thelid removed therefrom,

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view through the inventory, storage and sales case taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a detailed, fragmentary view illustrating one of the transverse partitions of the inventory, storage and sales case, and

Figure 4 is a detailed, fragmentary view illustratingone form of the false bottom which forms a part of the inventory, storage and sales case.

Referring to the drawings, the inventory, storage and sales case has parallel side walls and H which are perpendicular to the bottom [2 and.

which are provided with flanges l-lextendinginwardly from the upper edges thereof.

The front end wall "M is also perpendicular"- to the bottom [2, whereas the rear end wall I5 extends upwardly and rearwardly from the bottom [2 at a substantial angle thereto, whereby the rear end wall 15 is quite substantially longer than the front end wall l4. As will be explained hereinafter, the acute angle shown as 37 in Figure 2, which the rear end wall makes with the plane of the bottom [2 is determined by the amount of ticket stub which must be exposed in any particular circumstance.

The inventory, storage and sales case isprovided with a false bottom It having right angular corrugations I l extending transversely thereof, said corrugations being provided with a plurality of apertureswl'a. The walls 19 of the transversely extending corrugations Ill are all in planes extending at right angles to the plane of the rear wall l5 of the inventory storage and sales case. Consequently, the opposing walls 20 which join the walls I9 at right angles extend in planes generally parallel to the plane of the rear wall [5.

It will be appreciated that a sufficient portion of the tickets which are storedin the inventory,

storage and sales case of the invention must be exposed to make it possible to see the complete designation with respect to section, row, gate. seat number and the like of the first ticket of each group of tickets stored in the case. The length of the ticket which will be so exposed to view will, of course, correspond to the length of the walls 20, and since the walls Hi all lie in a plane perpendicular to the planeof the rear wall IS, the length of the walls 20 and the length of ticket stub exposed will vary inversely with the size of the acute angle formed between the plane of the rear wall [5 and the plane of the bottom l2. For example, should the required stub exposure be only about of an inch, the length of the wall I9 need only be about of an inch, whereas the acute angle between the plane of the rear wall 15 and the plane of the bottom l2 must be approximately 37", as shown in Figure 2.

If the required ticket stub exposure is 1 /4 inches, the length of the wall 20 must be 1 inches, and

the acute angle formed between the plane of the bottom l2 and the plane of the rear wall 15 must be approximately.25. Similarly, if the required ticket stub exposure is it inch, the length of the wall 20'must be inch, and the acute angle formed between the plane of the rear wall [5 and theplane of. the bottom .12 must be approximately 50.

Of course, cases appropriately :accomodating all typesand sizesoi tickets and ticket stubs ,2? ,right angular subdividers 24 handling of tickets and provide additional exposure of ticket stubs.

are embraced by the invention. In general, in the United States, reserve seat ticket stubs vary in length from about to about 1% inches.

A plurality of removable transverse partition members 2| each provided with a plurality of tongue members 22 are supported on the walls H! of the right angular corrugations ll of the false bottom Hi. The tongues 22 of the partition members 2| engage the apertures H3 in the false bottom l6 and assure proper seating of the partition members 2| and function as a pivot to the end that the partition members 2| may be tilted toward the front of the inventory, storage and sales case to facilitate the introduction and withdrawal of the tickets therefrom. It will be appreciated that the tongues 22 cooperate with the walls l9 to restrict the degree to which the members 2| can be forwardly tilted, and that the permissible eX- tent of such tilt can be controlled by the design of the tongues 22. The tongues 22 are appropriately offset at 23 to provide a continuous and smooth ticket receiving surface embodying the combination of the front surface of the partitions 2| and the wall |9 of the false bottom IS. The offset construction of the tongue members 22 additionally affords maximum capacity for the inventory, storage and sales case.

The transverse partition members 2| are further provided with a plurality of subdividers 24 extending at right angles thereto. viders 24 act to hold the transverse partition members 2| in spaced relation and in parallelism with the rear end wall I5 of the inventory and storage case. As shown in the drawing, the width of the subdividers 24 corresponds generally to the length of the walls IQ of the false bottom it. It will be appreciated that the subdividers 24 are all of the same dimensions, so that when the false bottom l6 and the transverse partition members 2| are assembled in the case of the invention, there is provided a uniform set of ticket receiving cells indicated at 25 in Figure 1. It will be appreciated that the subdividers 24 may be welded or otherwise attached to the partition members 2|. The number of subdividers carried by each partition is determined by the number of ticket receiving cells provided by the particular case in question.

Each of the ends of each of the transverse partition members 2| is provided with a laterally extending flange member 26 for cooperation with the flanges l3 of the side walls l and II of the case, to prevent the transverse partitions 2! from falling out of the case and to restrict the degree to which the partitions 2| may be tilted toward thefront of the case. The transverse partition members 2| are further provided with scallops at the top edges thereof disposed between the to facilitate the A lid 28 is provided having an inturned flange 29 at the rear end thereof which isadapted to receive and to be held against displacement by the upper end of the rear end wall l5. By placing the angularly inturned flange 29 of the lid :28 in position down over the upper edge of the rear end wall I and thereafter pulling the lid *28 forward, and down over the side walls [0 and and the front end wall M, the lid 28 is tightly wedged down and forms a secure cover for the case. Conventional fastening means as shown at 30 is provided for securing the lid 28 to the body of the case.

To facilitate the handling and transport of the case a hand 3| is pivotally secured to lhe The subdi- 4 rear end wall H) as shown at 32. The case can thus be closed and easily handled or carried with a full complement of tickets therein, and may be placed in a fire-proof vault or the like. It is to be understood that a multiplicity of inventory and storage cases such as that illustrated in the drawings may be required for each stadium and for each game of the season. The cases can be stacked one on top of the other in storage and the tickets thereby safeguarded against destruction and theft. When the case is opened as indicated in Figure 1, all of the tickets for a given section are at once displayed and identified as indicated at 25 Each of the cells 25 contains a predetermined complement of tickets in a given row. When advance sales are made the tickets are removed and when the supply of tickets in any area has been exhausted, this fact is apparent by mere inspection of the inventory, storage and sales case for that particular section.

There is provided on the outside of the front end wall M a standard card bracket 33 which may appropriately hold a card indicating the day, game, section and row designations of the tickets contained in the case. The inventory, storage and sales cases would, prior to the activities in question, normally be placed in cabinets, first in the order of the games to beplayed, and second, in logical order for each individual game. In this manner it would be assured that all of the tickets stored would be readily identifiable without opening any of the boxes or otherwise consuming time in searches and inspection.

To expedite inventory and the like there is appropriately provided on the inside of the lid 28 a bracket 34 which may contain an inventory card indicating, for example (1) the original listing of tickets listed in the box by section, row and seat designation, and (2) information indicating the tickets withdrawn, in this manner providing an accurate method for maintaining continuous withdrawal for advance sales and other allocations of tickets. The inventory card located in the bracket 34 might also appropriately bear a listing of the assigned tickets and of the amount of money allocated as change. At the end of a sales period a ticket vendor would be able to balance his account and render a clear account of his sales to the box office immedi ately following the contest.

The inventory, storage and sales cases of the invention will be used by ticket sellers at business offices. Appropriate allocations of tickets Will be made by the business manager to each seller whereby several sellers will be enabled to vend tickets simultaneously for the most favorably located sections available. Ticketvendors may have assigned to them blocks of tickets for several sections, thus insuring the best seats available and rapid service to customers at the moment of purchase.

Through the medium of the present invention it is possible to avoid all confusion incident to the packaging of tickets from a ticket boardand to the redistribution thereof for the purposes of making inventory or for making sales to customers.

This application is a continuation-in-part of McAlister application Serial No. 284,030, filed April 24, 1952, now abandoned.

I claim:

1. An amusement ticket inventory and storage case comprising a box having parallel side walls, a bottom wall, and end Walls, the front end wall and side walls being perpendicular to said bottom wall, the rear end wall being inclined upwardly and rearwardly from said bottom wall whereby the top of said case is substantially longer than the bottom thereof, a plurality of right angular channels extending transversely across the bottom of said box, a first wall of each of said channels being disposed in a plane perpendicular to the plane of said rear end wall, and providing a support for the unexposed ends of tickets stored box, a second wall of each of said channels being disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of said rear end wall, the length of said second wall corresponding to the length of the portion of the ticket stored in said box which is to be exposed, a single independent transverse partition removably pivoted on the ridge of each of said channels, each of said partitions being of like dimensions and having a plane front sunface, the rear surface of each of said partitions carrying only a plurality of lat erally spaced, parallel sabdividers extending at right angles therefrom, the width of said subdividers corresponding to the length of said first walls of said channels, and extending toward said inclined rear end Wall, the subdividers on the rearmost of said partitions engaging the inclined rear wall of said box and supporting such partition in parallel relation to said inclined rear wall, the subdividers on each succeeding forwardly positioned partition engaging the plane front surface of the adjacent partition to the rear thereof and supporting all said partitions in parallel relation. to each other and to said inclined end Wall, to thereby provide a plurality of inclined ticket receiving cells formed between adjacent partitions and between said rearmost partition and said inclined rear end wall, said first walls of said channels forming the bottom walls of said cells, the plane front surfaces of said partitions forming continuations of and cooperating with said second walls of said channels to provide continuous supporting surfaces for the reverse sides of tickets stored in said cells.

2. An amusement ticket inventory and storage case as described in claim 1 wherein said side walls have flanges extending inwardly from the upper edges thereof and wherein the transverse partitions are provided with laterally extending flanges at the ends thereof for cooperation with the flanges of said side Walls to retain said transverse partitions in said case, and limit the extent to which said transverse partitions may be tilted toward the front of said case.

3. An amusement ticket inventory, storage, and sales case as described in claim 1 wherein the right angular channels are provided with a plurality of apertures adjacent the right angular channels thereof and wherein said transverse partitions are provided with tongue members engaging said apertures.

4. An amusement ticket inventory and storage case as recited in claim 1 wherein said plurality of transverse channels takes the form of a false bottom for said case.

DAVID S. MCALISTER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 490,156 Miller Jan. 17, 1893 2,145,106 Anderson Jan. 24, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,128 Great Britain 1890 702,647 Germany Feb. 13, 1941 

